Kulbergs government gets one of its best ratings since 2008

Public opinion of the government led by Andris Kulbergs of the United List remains negative, but is among the strongest recorded since 2008, LSM reported, citing a Providus think tank study. In August, 31% of residents said they were satisfied with the government’s work, while 61% were dissatisfied.

The satisfaction index stood at minus 27.8 on a scale from minus 100 to plus 100. That was 8.9 points higher than the average for the previous four years, minus 36.6, and above the average of minus 41.0 recorded since measurements began in 2008.

No government has received a positive overall rating since the measurements began. The lowest index, minus 76.9, was recorded in January 2009. In every social group, more people were dissatisfied than satisfied. Among Latvian speakers, 43% were satisfied and 48% dissatisfied; among Russian speakers, the figures were 11% and 82%, respectively.

The Providus study, titled “Public Mandate: Governance Barometer 2026–2029”, is intended to track whether the government’s work reflects residents’ priorities throughout the term of the 15th Saeima. Its first findings establish a baseline for assessing the new parliament and government. Providus director Sanda Liepiņa said the government’s performance would be measured once every quarter.

The report draws on two surveys conducted by SKDS, each involving 1,005 residents aged 18 to 75. The survey on public priorities was carried out in July, and the survey on satisfaction with the government’s work in August.

Healthcare was the clearest priority for the 15th Saeima: 46% of respondents named it as one of the three most important problems to address, considerably more than for any other issue. Healthcare ranked first in 43 of the 46 social groups analysed.